As Big Brown prepares to face as many as eight rivals in Saturday’s 140th Belmont Stakes in an effort to become the 12th Triple Crown winner and first since Affirmed in 1978, trainer Richard Dutrow continues to insist the 3-year-old colt will race at least two more times after the Belmont.

Many industry insiders expect the son of Boundary to be retired after Saturday – win or lose – because of a reported $50 million stud deal with Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky., that was signed during Preakness Stakes week.

Principal owner Michael Iavarone has gone on record as saying Big Brown will not race past his 3-year-old year, but Dutrow goes a bit further. He says jockey Kent Desormeaux will ride Big Brown like he did in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness because there is more work to be done after Saturday.

“When they turn for home, what we want is for Kent to put the race away and just glide to the wire like he has in the Derby and like he did in the Preakness,” Dutrow said. “We are going to race him again and it’s very important that we save our horse for the last two races. We’re going to need it.”

Dutrow says plans are to race Big Brown in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25. Racing leaders and fans are hoping for a Big Brown-Curlin showdown in the Classic, but that could be a pipe dream.

Meanwhile, Big Brown galloped 1<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>2 miles over Belmont Park’s oval Sunday morning under exercise rider Michelle Nevin, who confirmed that the colt was scheduled to have an acrylic and fiberglass patch placed on the small quarter crack on his left front foot this morning. Dutrow plans to breeze Big Brown five furlongs on Tuesday.

“He felt good,” Nevin said. “He knows something is going on because all these people are around him all the time, clapping for him in the grandstand.”

Of the 11 Triple Crown winners, none faced more than seven foes in the Belmont. Big Brown will attempt to join Seattle Slew as the only unbeaten Triple Crown winners. Seattle Slew had seven challengers when he won the Belmont in 1977.

The Belmont lost a possible starter Sunday when Tomcito, third to Big Brown in the Florida Derby and seventh to Casino Drive in the Peter Pan Stakes, was ruled out because the Street Cry colt had some congestion, according to trainer Dante Zanelli.

“It’s very depressing,” Zanelli said.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Ready’s Echo, third in the Peter Pan, worked five furlongs over Belmont’s fast training track in 1:00.91 on Sunday and Pletcher says the colt is on target for the Belmont.

“We’re very happy with the way he went,” said Pletcher, whose Rags to Riches became the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont Stakes last year.

Others expected to challenge Big Brown on Saturday include Japanese import Casino Drive; Denis of Cork, third in the Derby; Tale of Ekati, winner of the Wood Memorial and fourth in the Derby; Macho Again, second in the Preakness; Anak Nakal, seventh in the Derby; Icabad Crane, third in the Preakness; and Da’Tara.

Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Wednesday morning.

Dutrow, who earlier this week proclaimed a Big Brown victory in the Belmont “a foregone conclusion,” hasn’t lost any of his bluster as the big day nears.

“If they said, `Rick, we’re going to run the Belmont on the grass this year,’ I’d say `That’d be fine,”‘ he said. “We don’t need to worry. He will handle things.”